By Staff Writer, Guardian Sports Desk

Bahamian volleyball coaching standout Shane Pinder has his Liberty University Lady Flames back into the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. The Flames on Sunday past, overcame Coastal Carolina in four hard-fought sets, 25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, to win for the second consecutive year, the Big South Volleyball Championship.

The victory at the Justice Center in Asheville, North Corolina, enabled Liberty to have back-to-back titles for the first time in school history. Also prior to the championship action, the flames secured a fifth conference title.

Gerald Pinder, Coach Shane's father, was in Asheville for the volleyball classic and reported to The Guardian that he enjoyed a special experience.

"Shane is excited and humbled at the same time. The entire team is excited and I'm a very proud dad," he said.

The Liberty Flames web site quotes Coach Pinder noting the consistency of his team.

"Once again we were able to get some key points at key times. Our players showed a tremendous amount of resolve to get the job done. Kallie Corbin had a tremendous match, just like she has had all weekend and all season. We got big plays from Karyl Bacon, especially in the second set with her blocking. We played well, but we had to because Coastal Carolina gave us everything we wanted. They disrupted us and made us earn everything we got," said the coach.

The Flames got into the final by blitzing host the University of North Carolina at Asheville 3-0 by scores of 25-23, 25-21 and 25-20.

After that triumph, Coach Pinder lauded the big plays made by the top players and credited total execution for the three-setter against a "well-coached and solid UNC Asheville team."

Against Coastal in the clinching set, Bacon led the way with six kills. She, Niki Schripko, Ashley Webber and Jessica Nelson registered double-doubles in the match.

The Flames as the top seed from the Big South should get a comfortable opening round match and go on to at least equal last year's first round triumph. The fist round of the NCAA Division I competition will take place on December 4.

Coach Pinder is the lone Bahamian flavor on the team despite the country's long history of outstanding volleyball competitive presence at the college level in the United States. Earlier this year when Coach Pinder was home for a visit, he again expressed a desire to do some local recruiting and gave an open invitation to the Bahamas Volleyball Federation to make contact with him in that regard.

So far nothing has materialized in the way of local talent.

Coach Pinder acknowledged though that Bahamian players on his team remain an objective.